Ignition distributor for automobiles



May 4, 1965 R. LEE 3,181,521

IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR FDR AUTOMOBILES Filed Nov. 19, 1985 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTOR. Rosam- L-EE May 4, 1965 R. LEE

IGNITION DISTRIBUTOR FOR AUTOMOBILES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 19, I963 INVENTOR. F0555? 425K Patented May 4, 1965 3,181,521 IGNITiON DISTRIBUTOR FOR AUTOMOBILES Robert Lee, 1508 Price St., Savannah, Ga. Filed Nov. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 324,658 1 Claim. (Cl. 123-1465) The invention relates to ignition systems for internal combustion engines, more particularly to ignition distributors for automobiles.

An object of the invention is to increase the operating efficiency of internal combustion engines.

Another object is to provide such a distributor that is readily installed and serviced.

Another object is to provide such a distributor which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts and is inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter or are obvious.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a detail plan view of the housings and gear box, partly broken away.

FIGURE 3 is a detail plan view of the shaft 25 and the gears carried thereby.

FIGURE 4 is a detail plan view of the shaft and the gears thereon.

Referring to the drawings, the features of the invention described as follows, or the equivalents thereof, are known in the prior art cited.

The numeral 12 designates a pair 'of housings, one of said housings containing an ignition circuit breaker mechanism. A cam means having spaced lobes, one for each cylinder of the engine, having two rows of cylinders, a driven shaft 15 having opposite ends projecting into each of said pair of housings, and rotating said cam means, a driving shaft angularly disposed with respect to said driven shaft, carrying a gear 29, at one end for driving connection with the engine, a gear 27 at the opposite end of said driving shaft, and located intermediate the ends of and meshing with a gear 21 on said driven shaft for rotating said driven shaft from said driving shaft, a pair of tube-like distributors 28, one for each row of said cylinders, means in each distributor for electric connection with a spark plug lead, a rotatable shaft in each distributor having a plurality of separate condoctors for supplying ignition current to each of said leads, through said means, and a connection common to all of said separate conductors with the secondary of an ignition coil energized and deenergized by operation of said ignition circuit breaker mechanism.

The gears 21 and 27 are located in gear box 14. The invention consists in means for operating each of said distributor shafts comprising drive cables having flexible conduits 26 secured at one end to each of said pair of tube-like distributors 28, caps 22 for enclosing each of said housings 12, openings in said caps aligned with the opposite ends of said driven shaft 15, in which the opposite ends of said conduits 26 are secured, and driving connections between one end of each of said cables and said rotatable shaft in each distributor 28.

The step by step operation of the invention is as follows:

Gear 20 driven from engine drives shaft 25, shaft 25 drives gear 27, gear 27 drives gear 21, gear 21 drives shaft 15, shaft 15 drives flexible cables 39, cables in conduits 26 drive rotatable shafts in distributors 28.

The right is reserved to modifications coming within the scope of the claim.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In an ignition system for an internal combustion engine having at least two rows of cylinders, a pair of housings, at least one of said housings containing an ignition circuit breaker mechanism including a cam means having spaced lobes one for each cylinder in each row of cylinders, a driven shaft having opposite ends projecting into each of said pair of housings and rotating said cam means, a driving shaft angularly arranged with respect to said driven shaft carrying a gear at one end for driving connection with an engine, a gearing at the opposite end of said driving shaft and located intermediate the ends of said driven shaft for rotating said driven shaft from said driving shaft, 21 pair of tube-like distributors one for each row of cylinders and extending therealong, means in each distributor for electric connection with a spark plug lead, a rotatable shaft in each distributor having a plurality of separate conductors for supplying ignition current to each of said leads through said means and a connection common to all of said separate conductors with the secondary of an ignition coil energized and deenergized by operation of said ignition circuit breaker mechanism; the improvement in said system for operating each of said distributor shafts from said driven shaft comprising, drive cables having flexible conduits secured at one end to each of said pair of tubelike distributors, caps for enclosing each of said pair of housings, openings in said caps aligned with the opposite ends of said driven shaft in which the opposite ends of said conduits are secured, and driving connections between one end of each of said cables with opposite ends of said driven shaft and the other end of each of said cables and said rotatable shaft in each distributor, to transmit rotary motion from said driven shaft to each distributor shaft.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,133,524 3/15 Zika 123-1465 1,351,763 9/20 Kirkham 123--55 X 1,447,971 3/23 Egger 123l46.5 1,467,054 9/23 Menges 123-1465 X RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner. 

